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Fundraising Tuesday: Annual Reports, the Long and Short of It

March 14, 2023 by Dennis Fischman Leave a Comment

What’s the right size for your nonprofit’s annual report?

In 2021, an organization with whom I have worked sent out a very brief annual report: two sides of a sheet of paper, including photos, quotable quotes, and pie charts showing their finances. They mailed it to all the postal addresses they had, and they attached it to email and sent it to the rest of their list.

In 2022, that same organization prepared what I think of as the traditional annual report: sixteen pages including a cover, a letter from the Executive Director, descriptions of all their programs and statistics about how many they served, and a list of donors by name and level.

Which approach was better?

SHC annual report coverAdvantages of a Short Annual Report

  • A two-page annual report is MUCH more likely to be read than a longer version.
  • It can be snappy and to the point.
  • The eye-catching elements (photos, captions, bold type) are a larger part of a short report than a long one. You avoid the wall of text that signals “no entry” to so many readers.
  • It’s cheaper to print and mail.

Don’t think, however, that it will take a lot less time to prepare a shorter report. Collecting and choosing the right stories, photos, and quotable quotes is a painstaking process.

(It’s like the opening line attributed to Mark Twain: “Dear ___, here is a long letter. I would have written a short letter, but I didn’t have the time.”)

You will also need to take time with the layout, to make sure you use a large enough font for your donors’ eyes and leave enough white space to make it readable and attractive AND say what you want to say.

Advantages of a Longer Annual Report

While few donors or funders will read a long report page by page, many will find it impressive. Having a lot to say, and saying it in a professional manner, will build trust that your organization is doing something worthwhile.

This is particularly true if you’re going to use your annual report to accompany phone, online, or in-person visits to donors or funders. You can either go over it with them or have a more personal conversation, not worrying that you’re leaving anything out: it’s in the report you’re leaving with them!

Some funders, and a lot of donors, may wonder why you’re spending their money on a glossy publication, or on mailing a multi-page document, instead of on program. You will want to know your particular audience and get a sense of how they’ll react.

In fact, the answer to “Which approach is better?” will always be, “It depends on who your audience is and how you will share the report with them.” Let’s talk about that in a future post.

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How to Find a Story for Every Occasion

February 29, 2016 by Dennis Fischman 6 Comments

Storytelling is an ancient art that people in communications fields have begun to appreciate.  But how do you find the right story for the occasion?

archery_homeOnce upon a time, a storyteller (the Maggid of Dubnow) was walking along a road when he saw the most amazing sight.  There was a barn, and on the barn was a bull’s-eye target.  Arrows protruded from the target.  Every one of them had hit the bull’s-eye.  And standing next to them, with a bow and an empty quiver, was a teenager, no more than fourteen.

“Young man!” the storyteller called out.  “How did you manage to hit the bull’s-eye every time?”

“Oh, it was easy,” the teenager replied.  “I shot the arrows first, then I painted the circles around them.”

“And that,” the storyteller told a friend later, “is exactly what I do with my stories. I learn to tell them first, and later I find the occasion to tell them.”

Don’t wait for the next time you’re putting together a newsletter or a funding appeal to think about what stories to tell.  Put some stories in your quiver.  Lean how to aim them.  Then, find the right targets.

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Should You Write Like You Speak?

July 9, 2015 by Dennis Fischman 1 Comment

Writers often hear the advice, “Write like you speak.”  But is that good advice for bloggers?

YES: if it means you avoid jargon, write with your audience in mind, and reveal a bit of personality in your writing.

NO: if it means you blog without thought or effort.

If you’ve just flipped the lid on the top of your head and poured out whatever was top of mind at the moment, don’t expect me to read it.  If you haven’t worked at finding matter that will interest me and a way of expressing it that will draw me in, don’t waste my time…or yours.

Write (and revise, and write again) so that what you finally publish sounds like you’re speaking to me, directly, and telling me what I most need to hear.

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